By .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and Carey Purcell
04 Aug 2014

Tony Award winner Neil Patrick Harris is in the final leg of his acclaimed run of the Broadway premiere of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Prior to his Aug. 17 departure, the stage and screen star took to Twitter to bare it all in a behind-the-scenes Hedwig before and after shot.

The Broadway premiere of the cult rock musical began previews March 29 at the Belasco Theatre, prior to an official opening April 22. Harris won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as Hedwig. Tony nominee Andrew Rannells (The Book of Mormon, Jersey Boys) will star in the musical beginning Aug. 20. He is contracted for eight weeks.

Hedwig features a book by John Cameron Mitchell and music and lyrics by Stephen Trask. The landmark 1998 musical stars Harris as the titular Hedwig, a transgender singer fronting a fictional rock-n-roll band. Lena Hall, who recently starred as Nicola in Broadway's Tony-winning musical Kinky Boots and is also the lead singer of rock band The Deafening, co-stars with Harris as Yitzhak.

Harris and Hall won the Tony Awards for Best Lead Actor in a Musical and Best Featured Actress in a musical, respectively. Kevin Adams also won the Tony for Best Lighting Design. The production won Best Revival of a Musical.

Harris has performed on Broadway in Assassins and in the New York Philharmonic production of Company. He has been honored with four Emmy Awards: three for his acclaimed hosting of the Tony Awards and another for his guest-starring role on "Glee." He also served as host and producer of the 61st and 65th Primetime Emmy Awards.

The dramatic musical comedy began Off Off-Broadway at Westbeth and then ran over two years at the Jane Street Theatre beginning in February 1998. Hedwig and the Angry Inch won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical, and both John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask won Obies. Hedwig and the Angry Inch won a 1998 New York Magazine Award and Entertainment Weekly's "Soundtrack of the Year" Award.